Split in Thuringia Parliament: BSW Faction Loses Three Lawmakers

The BSW faction in Thuringia’s state parliament is losing three lawmakers in a split that changes the balance of power in Erfurt. Stefan Wogawa, Dirk Hoffmeister and Roberto Kobelt have left both the party and the parliamentary faction, but they intend to keep their seats.

BSW faction leader Sigrid Hupach announced the departures in the state parliament. The faction will shrink from 15 to 12 members. Hoffmeister said the three lawmakers had founded a new party called Deine Stimme zählt, or Your Voice Counts. Wogawa previously served as the faction’s parliamentary managing director.

The BSW is part of Thuringia’s governing coalition with the CDU and SPD. The coalition already lacked its own majority and faced a deadlock with the AfD and the Left. It generally secured majorities with support from the Left. After the three departures, however, the coalition has become a genuine minority government and could theoretically be defeated by the opposition in parliament.

According to dpa information, the lawmakers’ decision was driven mainly by opposition to the course set by the BSW’s federal executive. They reportedly said parliamentary work could not depend on an “increasingly crazy federal executive.” They sent their resignations by registered mail to the party’s federal and state offices on Tuesday.

The conflict between the Thuringian BSW branch, led by Katja Wolf, and the federal party has existed since the coalition was formed in 2024. Anke Wirsing and Sven Küntzel are regarded within the faction as supporters of the federal party’s line. Wogawa, Kobelt and Hoffmeister want to form a parliamentary group. Under Thuringia’s parliamentary law, at least five lawmakers are needed to form a faction. A parliamentary group would have fewer rights, but more opportunities than independent lawmakers. The effect of the split on the coalition’s work remains unclear.

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increasingly crazy federal executive